Cold and Calculating

Most think I’m dead but they’d be wrong.I’m alive, moving, growing, yet sometimes
shrinking and losing part of myself. My aim is complete dominance. Power. I
possess complete power over him. I stretch and spread my crackling beauty,
penetrating every crevice of his life.

The light is what I fear most. It and only it can
bring me devastation. Light brings warmth and my being cringes and moans in its
presence.I feast and rejuvenate in
darkness especially while the wind blows across my body. That’s when I’m most alive!

Today, I’m spreading my icy fingers over his
eyelashes. I move slowly so he is unaware of my progress. Stealth is my
ambition. I grow gradually without his knowledge. This way, I conquer him.

My movements are sluggish and unobserved as I cover
his sightless eyes. He is still. No breath comes and his heart has stopped. I won.
A calm pervades me as I realize his struggle is over. To make sure, I thicken
my hold. Every second I increase in strength.

My life is lonely. Only two do I call friends—wind and
dark. I cling to them to stay alive.

Then a finger of light flicks over the horizon. No!
The light stunts my growth and my grasp on him. The sun is raising its ugly
bright head. If only I can hold out until the dark. I must lie as still as
possible.

Clouds! Clouds are the answer. I wish for thick
beautiful ones to block the sun.

The clouds breeze in and cover the orb. A whipping of
air shivers delightfully over my body. The wind blasts cold and soon snow
follows.

Snow. I love the snow. She blankets me in coldness
delight. I increase in strength. I am elated. I won another round with the sun
today. How many more? I need to go on!

The night came and brought with it its freezing
tranquility. Not even a moon. The blackness seeps in my being. I’m almost giddy
with pleasure. I have accomplished my goal of encapsulating my prey and also conquered
another day. But—what is this? The darkness is waning. Too soon! The nights
grow shorter, I can sense it. Too soon!

The sun reaches high in the sky. Its gruesome display
spreads its warmth and touches my body. I shrivel. The time is slipping away. A
short time now. Oh if only.

The night was long in coming and it didn’t heal me
like it normally does. Already another heart breaking day full of the sun’s
rays. Another and another. Day after dreadful day. They bake me and I slide
farther away.

Oh no! He twitched. His tremor was unmistakable.
Breath. The dreaded breathing began. That was a heartbeat. It can’t be! Alas,
it has begun.

He will survive and I will not. I have become weak.
The sun is doing its hideous job of breathing life into the world and sucking
it out of me. I’m melting quickly.

He moved! Not long now. He blinks and a dry tongue
licks my precious body. A part of me slides down his throat. I’m dispersing. I
drip away into nothingness until next year, for I am the ice that covers the
Alaskan wood frog while he hibernates.

■■■

This is a miracle from the Lord. He created a frog who
could withstand freezing temperatures. The frog hibernates to the extent of not
breathing and his heart stops. When the thaw happens, the frog emerges and is able
to go about his life until winter comes.

The story of the ice overcoming the frog reminded me
of sin. We all sin. Sin is anything we do or think that is wrong or against God’s
laws. Lying, stealing, disobeying, even thinking bad thoughts are sins. When we
sin we have a choice. We can acknowledge it and ask for forgiveness or we can ignore
it. If we ignore it we will probably do it again and again. This sin will now
become a problem. The sin is like the ice; overpowering the person. Sin can make our heart cold or callous to doing the right thing.

Don’t ignore sin. Face the sin you have done and ask
for forgiveness. Don’t let the sin overtake you like it did to the frog. The
frog didn’t even feel the freezing of the ice. The frog had a happy ending when
the ice melted. When you fight or flea from sin, you will have a happy ending
also.

Please memorize one or both of these verses: Psalm 51:
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleans me from my sin.

John 8:34 Jesus
answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to
sin.